A woman armed with a gun was shot and killed by police Thursday when officers confronted alleged kidnappers in a Homestead trailer park.
Miami-Dade Police say the incident began when family members showed up at a police station Wednesday to report two teenaged males had been kidnapped and were being held for a $250,000 ransom.
Leads led investigators to a house in Homestead's Cocowalk Trailer Park on NE 12th Avenue on Thursday. When officers entered the home a confrontation ensued and shots were fired, leaving the woman dead and five others in the trailer park in custody.
"The investigation started yesterday and it led through the entire night," said MDPD spokeswoman Lt. Rosanna Cordero-Stutz.
Police say the two boys, who are 17 and 19 years old, were unharmed during the shooting but had been beaten by their captors. The 17-year-old was severely injured and told police he had been tortured.
"At this time we don't know why these kidnappers think that they could ask for this amount of money," Cordero-Stutz told NBC 6. "As you can imagine, we're still trying to figure out exactly who these individuals are and also what the family's status is in all of this."
Police have not yet identified the woman, or anyone else involved in the case.
“It’s shocking because nothing like this has ever happened in this community,” neighbor Guillermo Rodriguez told CBS Miami. “It’s really shocking.”
UPDATE August 10: Police have identified the victims as Xavier Valdes, 17, and Luis Mir-Borjas, 18, of Miami. According to police reports, authorities observed two of the alleged kidnappers entering the trailer park and stopped the car to investigate. Meanwhile, one of the victims managed to get free and escape from the home to a nearby convenience store. After summoning police, he led them back to the trailer where he indicated there were other armed kidnappers inside sleeping.
Detectives found the second victim bound and gagged in the trailer along with three suspected kidnappers; while searching the trailer they were confronted by armed 21-year-old Damaris Jaramillo of Homestead, who was shot and killed.
Also arrested were Jaramillo's boyfriend, Dexter Deon Marshall, 26, of Homestead; Alain D. Perea, 19, of Homestead; Roman Valentino Villaceres, Jr., 18, of Florida City; and Joe Manuel Cotte Vazquez, 17, of Homestead. Police say all are charged with armed kidnapping and first degree felony murder.